The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-08-03

their ll0ertleS, anQ VenG IueiI Ill looiine
in the most outrageous manner. Thell
chief instrument of torture are milk
gongs and COW bells.
Upon the whole the average Washing
tonian is very philosophical in making
the most out of what is really a serious
thing. ID.
The Heavens Opened.
AUGUSTA, July 29.-3 p. m.-The
heaviest rain of years is now falling
here. The rainfall measures ALI inche.
for the past twenty-four hours: The
river is rising at the rate of foot an
hour and now measures Is feet at the
bridge. A freshet is feared, and all
crops on the river bottom will be abso
lutely ruined if the river rises 8 feet more
which it is almost sure to do. All the
lowland is already flooded and the loss
up to this hour will amount to many
thousand dollars.
The water is within q few inches oi
the huls of the new steamboats, on the
river bank, and it is feared they will be
washed away. Many hands are now al
work crowding iron on to save them.
AUGUSTA, July 30-1 a. NAT Il
o'clock to night the river registered
twenty six feet and was still rising al
the rate of fourteen inches an hour. II
is now fact that all crops in the river
bottom have been ruined, and it is esti'
mated that the loss will be half q million
dollars. The new river steamer is entire
ly under water, and it is feared that i!
will have to be constructed over. Thus
the builders will lose all the work here
tofore done and the completion of the
boats will be delayed about month.
AUGUSTA, July 3l.-Augusta to day
reminds one forcibly of that beautiful
city Venice. Almost the entire place is
one smooth but pretty expanse of water,
dotted with boats of every description,
from sailing yacht to the smallest canoe
Boats drawing five feet of water can be
carried over three.fourths of the city
without danger of running aground
People were piliug in boats pell-mell from
midnight last night till noon to-day
seeking places of safety from the rapid
rise of the waters and then boats were 80
scarce that many bad to sleep in the
second stories of their houses. Dams
we're built in front of many yards and even
before the doors and windows or piazzas,
but these we're quickly overAowed. Then
those whose houses had two stories fled
to the second, but those who were not go
fortunate we're compelled TO mount chairs
and beds, awaiting the arrival of boats.
Many Aoated out on hastily constructed
RATS. A number of those who own boats
have acted very badly, charging as much
as dollar a piece to remove people from
their houses that were rapidly filling.
OF course poor people had to pay this
extortionate rate as they feared drowning,
and each and every boatman has made
from one to FIVE hundred dollars.
AS predicted in this correspondence,
the river continued to rise throughout all
last night aud to-day when, at Q o'clock,
it reached its greatest height, thirty. five
feet. Since then it has been falling
slightly, and at S o'clock tonight one
inch fall is registered.
THE SCENE IN HAMBURG.
Shortly after 2 o'clock your cores.
pondent secured a boat and first crossed
the river into Hamburg. In many places
there the water is fully eighteen feet
deep. noticed water up to the roofs OF
many small dwelling houses, and there is
not house in the entire place that the
frat floor is not submerged.
Not only all business has been suspend.
ed, but the entire population have moved
with their live stock over to Schultz
Hill. Many hogs and COWS were drown.
en-, and wagon bodies, tubs, chairs and
ali manner of household goods RAY be
seen floating around on the water. None
but foot passengers were allowed to cross
the bridge, and they were all advised not
to make the attempt.
The South Carolina train was unable
to get nearer than within mile of the
bridge, four hundred feet of the Hamburg
trestle having been washed away. Meth.
er the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta
or the South Carolina trains went out
this morning, as the bridges were deemed
unsafe, but this afternoon both trains
went out after delaying some hours.
The Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta
trestle ia all right in Hamburg, but the
Port Royal trestle leading to the bridge
three miles below the city has been en-
tirely washed away, and no trains are
running.
WATER IN THE SECOND STORIES.
I then rowed up the river to the eastern
portion of the city. There, near the
bank, the wafer is running into the
second story of the houses. Out Of some
Que hundred houses in that neighborhood
there are now hardly half dozen inhab-
tied. Bateaux were being padded through
the lower floors Of many houses, and the
water is from S to 90 feet deep. We then
rowed up through Broad street from the
Planters Hotel to the extreme upper end,
and there the water is flooding all the
stores, not one having escaped, and is in
the first floor of many dwelling houses.
We then proceeded out to Greene street
above the Enterprise factory, which has
water all over the ground floor, and the
stores in the neighborhood are covered,
in two instances over the counters. On
account of the height of the canal bank
we were compelled to 60 back and come
down Ellis street, which was flooded as
much as Broad. On Greene street near
Mckinney all persons living on the south
side were compelled to leave their houses,
and we there found the canal bank to be
leaking near the bottom. The water in
the canal was six feet above that in
Greene street aud it was feared that it
would break in q short time. A messen-
ger was quickly dispatched to the super.
intendent, who in a short time arrived
and patched it in such manner as to
prevent its breaking unless another rise
occurs tonight.